Twisted Fates
by Myo43
Summary: Shizune looked around her quickly and shuddered. There wasn't going to be an easy way out of this. Monsters surrounded her on every side. All different kinds, shapes, and methods of fighting. An EdgexOc FanFic rated T for violence


Twisted Fates

Preface

Shizune looked around her quickly and shuddered. There wasn't going to be an easy way out of this. Monsters surrounded her on every side. All different kinds, shapes, and methods of fighting. She shuddered again and unsheathed her twin blades. They pressed in on her as she turned in another circle. There was nothing for her to do but wait for them to come within striking reach. Finally, one of them was dumb enough to run towards her without waiting for the others. Quick as the blink of an eye, she sliced through the ogre's throat. It shuddered and crashed to the ground. Suddenly, all the monsters surged forward, confident that the sheer number would prove an advantage. She spun, her blades extended. The first line of monsters fell. A club connected with her side. She cried out and turned on the large humanoid creature. It had a bull's head and the body of a man. It had dark, bat-like wings and glowing red eyes. There were a lot of those in the swarm of monsters. The majority of the monsters were ogres, then other, harder to explain monsters. Shizune dug both of her swords into the creature's chest, both roughly where the heart should be on both sides. It cried out and slammed to the ground. The others simply stepped on it, rushing to the human girl in the center of the mob. She started taking more hits, weapons and fists alike slowing her down. Without stopping, she surveyed the situation. It looked pretty grim. Hundreds of monsters lay on the ground, dead, but still more pressed closer. And suddenly, she saw a glint of silver and monsters were falling. The silver life-saver moved in a U shape, cutting down enemies without touching her. It was then she realized there were two silver life-savers. She fell to her knees in exhaustion and pain as she felt each of the injuries. She closed her eyes and fell forward into the bloody, churned up grass.

Chapter One

I picked her up and carried her carefully to the edge of the forest. I looked around the clearing. I swore when I realized I couldn't find the Fuma Shuriken I used to save this girl's life. She owes me big time… I rolled my eyes and looked down at her. She was peaceful, now, in contrast to when I first laid my eyes on her in the center of a mob of monsters. At that time, she was wearing a fierce, determined expression. And I'll admit she did well on her own. Her black short-sleeved shirt was cut and bloody in many places. Her tan shorts were splattered in her own blood and the blood of the monsters, even the green-blue blood of the ogres. I walked over to the tree and sat down. I crossed my arms and closed my eyes.

Shizune POV

I opened my eyes and looked around. There was a boy, slightly older than me, with white-blonde hair. He was sitting propped up against a tree, his arms crossed. He wore a white cloth over his mouth and a white cape. His shirt was black and short sleeved. He had black bracers and boots. His pants were white and there was something blue around his waist. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady. He was sleeping. I giggled, regretting it almost immediately when it sent waves of pain through my body. I cried out in surprise. I forgot I was hurt, forgot what happened. The scene before my eyes was so peaceful, the pain just didn't belong.

The boy opened his eyes and looked down at me. His eyes were silver-blue, and, at the moment, kinda angry. I winced at the anger that he looked at me with, because I didn't know what I did to deserve it. When he saw my reaction, his face softened. I tried to sit up, and gasped as my ribs flared up in pain. I put my arm across them and curled up in a ball. I felt a hand on my shoulder and winced. It retracted quickly. When the pain subsided, I looked up. And straight into the eyes of my rescuer. I felt blood rush to my face as I blushed. The boy (I'm not quite sure if boy is the right word…maybe…man? How old is this guy?) pulled the white cloth down from his face.

"Are you okay now?" he asked. I nodded hesitantly and looked away from those perfectly silver eyes. He stood up and started walking away. I scrambled to my feet.

"Hey, wait! What's you name? If only so I know who to thank," I said. He turned to me.

"My name is Edge," he said and started walking away again.

"So, you're just going to leave me here? You're unbelievable." I nodded, my wavy black hair bouncing. "Yeah, thanks a lot." My head stopped nodding and started shaking as I turned away. I wondered idly if he heard the note of sarcasm. If he did, he ignored it very well. I turned to where I last saw him, and he was gone, down the path through the forest. I shook my head again and started walking after him. I caught up to him and he stopped. I ducked behind a tree.

"I know you're following me. Cut it out," he said. He started walking again. I started following him, more careful this time. I felt something hit my head. I cried out. Then there was nothing.

Edge POV

"I know you're following me. Cut it out," I said and started walking. I heard her start walking again and rolled my eyes. There was a dull thud and she cried out. I turned around. I couldn't see her. But there on the ground where she should have been, were dots of blood. I listened closely and heard the faint footsteps of someone-something-walking away quickly. I ran after the sound and stopped again. I couldn't hear it anymore. I growled angrily and clenched my fists. I started walking again. Maybe I would hear her if she screamed.

I stopped when night fell. Suddenly, I heard someone yelling. Then I realized it was my name. There, again. "Edge! Edge, you idiot, where are you?" I narrowed my eyes. Did she just call me an idiot? I shook my head and ran towards where I heard her yell.

Shizune POV

I opened my eyes and groaned. Where was I? What happened? There was a dull throbbing in the back of my head and I could feel my arms were tied around something I assumed was a small tree. I looked up. We were still in the forest. Night fell. There was a campfire nearby. In front of the fire was a man. I took in a breath and yelled with all my might. "Edge! Edge, you idiot, where are you?" The man turned to me and glared at me angrily. He stood up and walked over to me. He had red eyes that scared me. He pulled out a knife and shoved it in my shoulder. I cried out and glared at him. He pulled it out and hit me across the head with it. My vision blurred as I drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness. As I struggled to stay conscious, I heard the man grunt. I looked up and smiled weakly. Edge punched the evil man in the stomach. I reached into the top of my boot and pulled out a small knife. Stretching my leg out of the awkward position, I carefully sawed through the ropes binding my hands. As soon as they were free, I looked up to survey the fight again. Edge was pinned against a tree and the evil man seemed to have grown. I shook my head. Was he a mage? At any rate, my rescuer needed rescuing. I stood up and wished I hadn't done so that quickly as dizziness swept through me. I put my hand to my head and leaned against a tree. I shook my head and looked up. The evil man was about to plunge a knife into Edge's stomach. I ran over and kicked the mage in the side. He flew away from Edge and crashed into a tree. Edge fell to the ground and stood up slowly. He looked at me and smiled weakly.

"Thanks. Couldn't breathe there for a second," he said. The mage stood back up. We turned to him. He raised his hand and the ground exploded beneath us. I hit a tree opposite the clearing from Edge. As I fought the darkness, I saw the evil mage pick up Edge. I stood up and, ignoring the dizziness, ran towards them. The mage aimed the knife at Edge's heart and I slid between them without thinking. I felt the blade plunge into me, unsure if it hit my heart or not, and I fell.

Edge POV

I watched the blade come nearer and gasped in horror as she got between me and the on-coming blade. Without any noise escaping her mouth, she fell to the ground. I glared at the evil mage in front of me. I picked up the sword I dropped and ran it through the mage. He cried out and disappeared in a swirl of black smoke. I stood there shaking, breathing quickly, my sword where it was before the mage disappeared. I dropped to my knees beside her. I lifted her carefully and cradled her in my arms. I looked at her face, as serene and peaceful as when I first saved her. Looking at her face, I could almost forget she was dieing. But I didn't. A breath shuddered through her mouth. Relief swept through me. At least she was alive…for now. I shook the thought from my head. What I needed to do was make sure she _stayed_ alive.

After I bandaged her up (yeah, you try doing first aid with your eyes closed), I heard her whisper my name. I looked at her. She was still unconscious. But _alive_. Every so often, she'd murmur my name. And every time, I'd look at her and hope she would be okay. Finally, she said my name one more time and, when I looked at her, her crystal blue eyes were open. She smiled. Then, she said,

"I'm…alive."

Shizune POV

I opened my eyes. Was I dead? Was this just an illusion? I looked around and saw Edge. Edge. Which meant I wasn't dead. "Edge." I smiled. There was so much I wanted to say. I wasn't dead. _I'm not dead_. The thought was almost too good, so liberating. "I'm…alive," I breathed. Edge stood up and walked over. I turned my head and looked at him. He fell to his knees next to me, his eyes filled with worry. That made me laugh. I regretted it as it sent waves of pain through my chest. It felt like I was on fire.

"I think I…missed the joke," he said and smiled at me.

"It's nothing, just, a while ago, you didn't want me near you, and now you're worried about me. Make up your mind, would ya?" I said and smiled. "Gee, you actually look relieved." His smile faded.

"I…I thought you were going to die for a while there," he muttered and looked down at his hands. I laughed and sat up, wincing at the pain, but not crying out. I smiled at him. "Do you know how hard it is to wrap a bandage with your eyes shut?" he asked.

"With…my…eyes…shut? Why were your…?" I started. He looked down and blushed.

"Well, um…where it…you know…" he stammered.

"Oh," I said and looked down. Then I understood. My eyes widened. I looked up at him. "Oh!"

"Yeah," he muttered. A moment of silence passed

"Awkward moment," I said. He nodded. After another moment of silence, he looked at me with those flashing silver eyes.

"What's you name?" he asked.

"What, you're planning on keeping me?" I said and smiled. Of course, I realized, I couldn't tell him my real name. I didn't want him to hate me or be afraid. He laughed and didn't seem to notice the hesitation. I decided to use one of my childhood nicknames. "My name is Zu," I said.

"Zu. That's a nice name," he said. I smiled and giggled.

Edge POV

"My name is Zu," she said.

"Zu. That's a nice name," I said. She smiled and giggled a little. It was a pretty sound, like bells chiming… I shook my head. I stood up and held out my hand. She took it and I pulled her up. I looked at her suddenly. "I have to ask. Why?"

"I don't know. I didn't think about it. My body just acted on its own," she said. That wasn't exactly the question I was trying to ask, but it did clear one thing up. I looked down at my hands and took a deep breath. It felt like I was betraying everything I felt back then… I shook my head slightly.

"Actually, I was kind of wondering something else. While you were…sleeping, you kept saying my name. I wanted to know…why," I said. She looked up at me questioningly and cocked her head to the side.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's because you're the first person that hasn't been afraid of me. You haven't tried to kill me. And you…you saved me," she said and looked down.

"Why would I be afraid?" I asked. She looked up quickly and shook her head.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," she said and smiled sadly. Her eyes looked…haunted. I set my hand on her cheek and looked into those sad eyes. I felt he cheek grow warm and saw a blush rise to her face.

"Something's bothering you. Would you like to tell me what it is?" I asked. She looked down. I tilted her head back up. She didn't look at me.

"It's nothing," she whispered.

Shizune POV

"It's nothing," I said softly, not finding the courage to say it any louder, afraid if I did, he would notice my voice waver, or hear the lie in my words. I looked back into those shining silver eyes. I wanted him to move his hand, so he wouldn't feel me blush, but…I also wanted him to never let go. I wanted to know more about him. "Tell me…about any other adventures you've been on."

"Well, a few years back, I met a bunch of people and…" he said and went through this amazing journey. The way he told me, I felt like I've met them, too. Cecil, the dark knight and paladin; Kain, the dragoon forced into evil and won out by good; Rosa, the healing mage and Cecil's lover; Rydia, the beautiful summoner; Edward, the kind bard/king; Yang, the powerful selfless monk; and Palom, the young black mage, twin to Porom, the young white mage. The way he talked about Rydia, it was obvious he was in love with her. It made me sad, but I kept the sadness off my face, which was easy because his story was so fascinating. He ended by saying when it was over, he went home and there was a celebration. Distraction successful.

"Whoa, and that all really happened?" I asked. He laughed and nodded. "Wow…that's amazing."

"So, have you had any interesting adventures?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No…this would be my first," I lied.

"Tell me about yourself," he said.

"There's nothing interesting to tell," I lied again. I hated to lie to him, but I didn't want him to hate me…

"Come on. What's you favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Favorite flower?"

"Spider lily."

"Favorite food?"

"Um… good question. I think I would have to say…apples."

"Do you want to tell me about your parents?" That stopped me for a second.

"I…don't have any," I said softly and looked down.

"Oh…I'm so sorry. I lost my parents, too. While I was with Cecil and the others. Guess I didn't mention it."

"I never knew my parents. They died when I was young…I think. Maybe they abandoned me…or got sent to prison…or …" My voice trailed off. Did I really want to tell him…? I knew I was stalling the inevitable.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up…"

"No…It's fine." There was a moment of silence.

"I was on my way to Baron. Would you…like to come with?" he asked. I paused to consider the question.

"Yes. Yes I would," I said. "Isn't that where Rosa and Cecil live?" I asked. He nodded. I smiled. "So I get to meet some of your friends." He smiled too.

"Yeah. They're good people," he said.

"I know," I said.

I opened my eyes and sat up. Something didn't feel right. I shook my head. "You're just being paranoid, Zu," I muttered to myself. I stood up and looked around carefully. The sun was coming up. But…there, in the distance. Storm clouds. I looked closely at them. I wouldn't have felt something unless…magic. I could see it shimmering in the sunlight. I walked over to where Edge was sleeping and shook his shoulder. He grabbed my wrist and stood up, pulling me up with him.

"Oh, it's just you," he said softly.

"Something's not right," I whispered.

"You felt it, too?" he whispered back. I nodded.

"It's the clouds. Something's coming," I said. He picked up his sword form the ground. I picked up my twin blades. "We should get going."

"Yeah. Be on your guard," he said. He started walking. After picking up my bow and quiver of arrows, I quickly followed. Slowly, the clouds loomed closer. As soon as we got close, they swooped to the ground and swiftly surrounded us. I held up my bow and drew an arrow from the quiver. Nocking the arrow, I aimed up. As I released, the arrow glowed a deep blue. The clouds were swept away. And staring at us with the fierce intense fury of a raging bull…was a dragon. Big and black, it had large spikes on its tail and down its back. It had a wide head and large body and gleaming yellow eyes. At the same time, I was scared and awe struck. Then, the beautiful beast roared and I could tell it was going to kill us. I shook my head. No. We were going to survive. _We will live through this. _I looked over at Edge. He was staring at me. I pointed at the dragon. He looked at it and jumped in surprise. He drew his sword. The dragon roared again and fire spewed from its mouth. We jumped out of the way. I rolled on the ground and landed in a kneeling position. Nocking another arrow, I aimed at the beast's tender nostril and fired. The beast cried out in rage and pain and glared at me. It shot more flames at me and I jumped straight up. I shot another arrow, hitting the sensitive membrane of one of the wings and landed on the dragon's tail. It flipped me into the air and brought the tail back down on to of me. One of the spikes went into my shoulder and another grazed my side. The tail lifted off my body. I sat up and saw the beast shooting flames at Edge as it brought its tail to hit him. He dodged the flames, only to get hit with the massive tail. "Edge!" I yelled as I shot another arrow at the dragon's toe from point blank range. It roared in pain and turned to me, swiping a large claw at me. I tried to move out of its reach, but it still hit me. It slammed me into a boulder and the sharp metal claws raked across my side. The boulder cracked under the impact. It turned back to Edge, who had shoved his sword into the beast's tender underbelly. I fell the ground. I pulled out the knife from the arm guard for the bow and shoved it into the dragon's foot. It growled and turned to me. I stared up into those angry yellow eyes. Suddenly, I understood. I stood up slowly, wincing in pain, and dropped my knife. I put the quiver and broken bow on the ground. Unbuckling the belt that held them, I set my twin blades on the ground as well. I looked up at the dragon.

"Stop! We mean you no harm. Please, we don't want to hurt you. Stop attacking us. I can get you home to your baby," I told it…no, her, carefully. "We didn't bring you here. But I will find who did, and I will kill him for doing this to a mother. Show me what he looks like." Images flashed through my mind as she showed me the face of the man, over and over, with different expressions. "I see. I will send you home now," I said softly as I put my hand on her chest. Just before she disappeared, I felt a wave of gratitude and smiled weakly. I dropped to my knees and breathed in a sigh of relief.

Edge POV

There was a flash of light. Zu was standing there, smiling weakly. Then, she dropped to her knees. I ran over to her, dropped to my knees and embraced her. She cried out and I let go.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly.

"No, it's okay," she said. She hesitated before asking, "You aren't mad at me?"

"For what? You being a priestess? For you not telling me? No, not really. We all have things we don't want to tell anyone else," I said.

"But…I'm not just any priestess," she said.

"No, she is a very dangerous priestess. Aren't you, Lady Shizune?" said an evil sounding voice. We looked up and saw a man in dark robes.

"A mage," I muttered and swore.

"The mage she showed me," Zu whispered.

"You're not showing any fear at being close to her and knowing her real name," the mage said. It was a statement rather than a question.

"Why should I? I know nothing of that name," I said.

"Then allow me to enlighten you," the mage said. Zu's eyes widened in fear.

"No! Please, don't!" she yelled. I could hear the panic in her voice. The mage smiled.

"Why not? Afraid he'll hate you forever?" he said. I looked down at Zu. Tears started rolling down her face.

Shizune POV

Tears formed in my eyes. I didn't bother to wipe them away. They would only be replaced with more. "Please…Don't tell him!" I begged. The mage laughed.

"You know she's a priestess. But she is no ordinary priestess," the mage said.

"Stop it!"

"She wanted more power. She wanted more, so she could kill the parents who left her for dead when she was young."

"Shut up!"

"And then, in her search for power, she became possessed by a demon."

"Please, no more," I begged, putting my hands to my ears to stop me from reliving my past. But that didn't stop Edge from hearing it. I didn't look at him. I didn't want to watch as he started to hate me again.

"The demon made her destroy hundreds of villages, kill thousands of innocent people. She found her parents. Oh, yes, she found her parents. And the demon inside her-" The contemptuous voice stopped and was replaced with a gag. I looked up. Edge had shoved his sword in the mage's stomach.

"I don't care what she did in the past. I can see it, she regrets what she did." He pushed the blade father in. "And your words are hurting her," he said.

Edge POV

I stood up and dug my sword in the mage's stomach. I didn't want to hear any more. No, I didn't want _her_ to hear any more. "I don't care what she did in the past. I can see it, she regrets what she did." I pushed the blade deeper in. I didn't want her to be in any pain. "And your words are hurting her." I pulled up on the blade and sliced through him as he disappeared in a swirl of gray smoke. I sheathed my sword and turned to Zu. She was shaking, on her knees, her hands over her ears, tears falling down her face. I walked over and crouched in front of her. I put my hands to her face and tilted her head up. She wouldn't meet my eyes with hers, so I pulled her into a hug.

"You don't…hate me?" she whispered.

"No. I would never hate you," I said. "No matter what."

"Never…?"

"Never ever."

"Oh…Edge…"

"It's all right. You don't have to relive the past if it's that painful," I muttered soothingly.

"You must think I'm horrible. That's why…I never told you. I didn't want you to hate me."

"Why would I hate you? Is that all you were really worried about?"

"Well…you never heard the whole story. The real story."

"You don't have to tell me," I said and pulled back enough to look into her eyes. She shook her head and put her finger over my lips.

"Yes…I do. You have every right to know," she said softly. "The reason my parents left me for dead was because I was born with immense power. It…scared them. I never wanted more power. He lied about that. But the demon wanted more power, and that's why it chose me. It made me burn down villages while I was screaming behind my own eyes. I killed hundreds of innocent people, but…it was never my fault. Or maybe…it was," she muttered. I grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. Those sad crystal-blue eyes…

"It was never your fault. It's okay…I promise, everything will be alright," I said and pulled her into another hug. I couldn't think of anything else to do to comfort her.

Shizune POV

He embraced me in a hug. It only made the tears fall harder, knowing he cared this much about me. _But…didn't he love Rydia? Or was I wrong about that?_ He knew my real name and my life. And yet…he still accepted me. I kept crying until I got tired of it. Then I looked up at him.

"We should go," I said softly as I wiped my eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. My greatest fear was that you would hate me. And you don't, so I'm fine," I said. He stood up and held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me up. I cried out as pain surged through my body. I dropped back to my knees and held my free arm across my body. Edge squeezed my hand and dropped to his knees in front of me.

"You're not okay. You're hurt. We don't have to leave right now. Rest," he said. I looked up at him.

"Don't let me slow you down. I'm fine, really. I just forgot…" I muttered.

"Really, Zu, how can you possibly forget you got hurt?" he said and shook his head.

"I do it all the time," I said. I stood back up slowly and so did he. I looked at him and was struck by those tantalizing silver eyes. "Which way?" I asked. He shook his head.

"We're not going anywhere until we get you fixed up," he said. I smiled sadly.

"Wait until the moon comes out. Then we won't have to worry about it," I said. He cocked his head to one side.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it," I said, shaking my head. I looked at the sky. "We won't have long to wait. Look," I said and pointed at the first star. The sun slowly descended below the horizon. I took his hand as the first rays of moonlight danced upon my skin. It was time…


End file.
